Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Entertainment for HappinessBy Zig Ziglar

"The typical eighteen-year-old has seen 17,000 hours of television, listened to 11,000 hours of music, and watched 2,000 hours of MTV and movies. In addition, they have spent countless hours on texting, have "driven around" a substantial number of hours, gone to concerts and athletic events, and dated. I'm not opposed to any of these things, but when you total those hours, they come to more hours than are required to complete kindergarten, grade school, middle school, high school, college, medical school and serve an internship. All of this in the quest of happiness, having pleasure and being entertained.

Interestingly enough, as thousands of people in my audiences around America will testify, when I ask them a question which challenges them to finish the sentence, "The most-often heard phrase around a household uttered by our children is..." --and I open the sentence by saying, "I am..." --the audience, in unison, finishes with the word "bored." In addition, according to Psychology Today, the typical 20-year old American is ten times as likely to be depressed as is his father and 20 times as likely to be depressed as is his grandfather.

The message is clear. There's a substantial difference between pleasure and happiness. Other people can give us pleasure. Most of us would agree that all the events I described above -- movies, dating, athletic events, music, etc --are pleasurable. However, neither you nor your children will be happy until you do things for other people. You can't be 'entertained' into happiness and pleasure alone ultimately produces boredom and low self-esteem. A Gallup Poll several years ago revealed that over 90% of seniors in high school wished their parents and teachers loved them enough to discipline them more and require and expect more from them.

We need to teach our children to be 'be' and 'do,' and I'm not talking about 'be entertained.' I'm talking about 'be responsible,' and active in the pursuit of some worthwhile objectives. Think about it and I'll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!"http://www.ziglar.com/newsletter/?p=872

It is the desire of the team at Excellence In Learning that through the Accelerate University program we can create ways for families to raise up men and women who can "be" and "do" so much more with their lives to impact the world! Being free from college debt, not spending 5 years or more in college, and completing school in such a ways that you can incorporate "real life experience" throughout the process are just some of the ways we see the possibilities for men and women to "be" and "do" more!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Did you know that 54% of college freshmen NEVER finish their degrees?Of those who do most change their majors 2-3 times (resulting in more years of school).Most college students who do graduate take a minimum of 5 years to complete their degree.

Did you know that average college graduate making $40,000 per year ends up committing 36% of his paycheck per month for the next 10 years to pay his student loans?

Most college students graduate with over $50,000 in debt.

The average cost of college is:

$68,000 in state public

$103,000 out-of-state public

145,000 private

Something has to be done! The Excellence In Learning Team has created Accelerate University as an elite mentoring program designed to help students achieve a fully accredited bachelor's degree in a fraction of the time for the lowest cost!

"Everyone tries to define this thing called 'Character'. It's not hard. Character is doing what's right when nobody's looking. Most people say that it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is Character." ~Albert Einstein

One of the biggest reasons Accelerate University exists is to create the opportunities to develop men and women of character! Through completing a degree in the AU program, students are challenged in several areas and often grown in character, self-discipline and personal motivation. AU students also often experience a widening of their perspective and vision for who they can become and what they can do with their lives.

In our culture, nation and world today, we need men and women of Character, Competence and deep Committment! We need leaders who will do "what's right when nobody's looking"!

That's our goal. We want to partner with families, men and women, students, businesses to raise up men and women of strong character, who will be leaders, will sacrifice for the good of others and will do what is right, seeking the things that Really Count (looking beyond personal fulfillment)!

Keep up the good work AU students! You are working on more than college courses...you are planting today who will will become tomorrow. Today you have the opportunity to grow in becoming a person of "Character"!

For the faithful fans, clients, friends and students who have been patiently waiting...We are excited to announce our website is expected to go live on December 1, 2010! We are eagerly looking forward to sharing the site with you!

Today it seemed fitting to share with you a quote that speaks to the adventure those partnering with Accelerate University have been on since day 1!

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." - George Bernard Shaw